Aubrey Beardsley made a name for himself at a young age as a great illustrator. His career was brief but prolific, cut short by his death at the age of 25. From his association with Oscar Wilde, to his erotic and satirical art style, Beardsley’s life was notorious.
He made graphic depiction of modes of sexuality that were widely seen as transgressive or ‘perverse’ during his lifetime. His work ignited a new kind of sensibility in contrast to the social norms of the age.
This talk takes Beardsley’s striking black ink drawings as a starting point to consider what is transgressive in art now. Looking to contemporary artists and thinkers we’ll discuss the place of the erotic in today’s visual culture.
